09/15/2008

Eggplant Dengaku

Ingredients:
For the dengaku miso (makes more than required for the recipe)
6 tbsp hatcho miso
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sake
1 large eggplant
3 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
1. To make the dengaku miso: In a small pan, combine the miso, sugar, mirin and sake. Place on medium heat and stir to combine. Once the mixture thickens, turn off the heat.
2. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, and then run a knife around the inside of the eggplant, loosening the skin from the flesh. Score the flat surface with a lattice pattern.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the eggplant, flesh side down, and brown. Then turn over, loosely cover with foil and continue cooking until almost cooked.
4. Spread two tablespoons of the dengaku miso on each half of the eggplant. Broil for about 5 minutes and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Author's note: Hatcho miso is a dark miso. If you can't find it, you can substitute with red miso paste.
My note: As noted above, the recipe makes a lot more sauce than the eggplant calls for. I was slightly suspicious of the serving size, so I made two eggplants and accidentally doubled the sauce recipe, of which there was no need. The two eggplants were good for two people, but if I had remembered to make rice, half an eggplant each with rice would have been plenty.
Yield: 2 servings.
Source: Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking